Grain carts having a granular material tank or hopper are used extensively in farming operations to receive harvested grain. After filling along the left side of a harvester, the grain cart is moved alongside a truck or other open-top receiving device. Typically, the grain cart includes an attached auger system for moving grain from the lower portion of the grain tank. The auger extends outwardly from the left side of the grain cart and includes an outermost auger section that is hinged for swinging between a storage or transport position adjacent the tank and an extended unloading position. In the unloading position, the auger system moves grain from the tank and out an upper end of the auger section where the grain moves downwardly into the upwardly opening receiving device.
Although numerous types of grain carts with different unloading systems are available, most or all fail to provide for convenient unloading into an intermodal container having a generally closed configuration with an opening in the side of the container. Devices such as shown in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,875 entitled CART FOR BULK FILLING INTERMODAL CONTAINERS, issued Jul. 15, 2003, provide an intermediate loading arrangement for bulk filling such containers. A high speed variable height conveyor is fed from a hopper which can receive grain from the grain cart auger. The conveyor projects the grain through the side opening to fill a container from the back towards the front. Such a system works well but requires the intermediate cart and a tractor and operator in addition to the conventional grain cart and tractor combination.
In another container filling arrangement shown in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/969,203 entitled APPARATUS FOR TRANSPORTING AND FILLING FREIGHT CONTAINERS, a container is supported on a wheeled chassis which is moved through a field to the harvesting device. An onboard high speed conveyor propels grain received from the harvester into the container. Such a system is relatively heavy when the container approaches a filled condition and can cause excess soil compaction in the field. Heavy equipment is required to move the filled container from the chassis onto the transporting vehicle for shipment.